How to Set the Memorial Status for Facebook?

Facebook (now Meta) offers the most comprehensive options. You can proactively set up two things:

1. A Legacy Contact for 'old' accounts:

• You can designate one person who, after you pass away, gets limited management over your account.

• This individual can pin a post on your profile (e.g., with funeral information), respond to friend requests, and update your profile picture.

• Important: This person cannot log in, read your messages, or remove friends.

2. Setting Memorial Status or Deletion:

• Memorial Status: You can choose to have your account turned into a "memorial page." The words "In Memory of" will appear next to your name. Friends can share memories on your timeline.

• Account Deletion: You can also choose to have your account permanently deleted after your death.

What about Instagram and LinkedIn after death?

Other platforms offer fewer proactive options, placing the burden on your loved ones.

• Instagram (also by Meta): Instagram has no proactive setting. Your loved ones will need to submit a request (with proof, like a death certificate) to turn the account into a memorial status or have it deleted.

• LinkedIn: The same applies to LinkedIn. Loved ones need to submit a formal request to have a LinkedIn profile removed after death.

The Limitations: An Incomplete and Fragmented Policy

The official tools fundamentally fall short in three areas:

1. It's not complete: What about X (formerly Twitter)? Pinterest? TikTok? Every platform has its own cumbersome policy. You can't centrally document your wishes for all your profiles.

2. It provides no control over data: Facebook's Legacy Contact cannot download your photo albums. If you want your family to have a copy of those thousands of photos, this feature offers no solution.

3. It's passive: You set this up once and forget about it. What if your designated contact is no longer on Facebook? It offers your family no active, clear instructions.

The Right Solution: Centralising Your Wishes (the Veault Method)

The only way to handle this properly is to document your wishes for each platform in a single, central, secure, and shareable location.

Step 1: Inventory

Instead of scouring each platform yourself, let yourself be guided. Veault's guided process asks about your social media accounts. Not just Facebook, but also LinkedIn, Instagram, X, etc. You're assisted in creating a complete overview.

Step 2: Documenting Context & Wishes

This is the most critical part. For each account you add, you provide specific instructions. This is the human touch that tech platforms miss. It's akin to leaving a personal message.

• Example 1 (Facebook): "Please convert to memorial status. [Partner's Name] is the contact person. No need to download the account."

• Example 2 (Instagram): "There are thousands of family photos here. Please download the full archive. Once safely stored, the account can be permanently deleted."

• Example 3 (LinkedIn): "Please delete immediately and permanently to avoid professional confusion."

Step 3: Granting Access (If Desired)

For some accounts (like Instagram), it's much simpler for loved ones to download data if they can log in. In your Veault vault, you can securely and encryptedly store the login credentials associated with that specific instruction.

Conclusion: Leave a Guide, Not a Mystery

The fate of your digital persona is too important to leave to chance (or the fragmented policies of tech giants).

1. Do the Basics: Go to your Facebook settings and appoint a 'Legacy Contact.'

2. Make it Complete: Use a central vault like Veault to document your wishes for all your social media accounts. Leave clear instructions: memorialization, deletion, or download first.

This ensures a respectful conclusion that aligns with how you want to be remembered.

Your social media is a significant part of your story. Ensure that the entire story of your digital life is respected.

Read more about organizing your complete digital legacy.